English
know
Know comes from Middle English knowen ‘to know’, and goes back to Proto-Germanic *knēaną.
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*knēaną1‘to know’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*knāan1‘to recognise’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150cnāwan1‘to know’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500knowen1‘to know’
- Englishearliest quotation 1526know1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English know
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1526, [William Tyndale, The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible): “Ye ſhall knowe them by their frutes.”.
Lineage
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*knēanąWiktionary, English know‘to know’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*knāanWiktionary, English know‘to recognise’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150cnāwanWiktionary, English know‘to know’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500knowenWiktionary, English know‘to know’
- Englishearliest quotation 1526knowWiktionary, English know. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1526, [William Tyndale, The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible): “Ye ſhall knowe them by their frutes.”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃- ‘to know’
can, could, normal, note, notice, recognize, recognition, narrative, glory, con, ken, ignore, keen, cognitive, noble, notion, ignorant, diagnostic, notorious, norm, cunning, cognition, narration, quaint, notation, nobility, prognosis, incognito, notoriety, canny, gnome, notary, agnostic, connoisseur, uncouth, canna, kith, recognizance, cognizance, annotate, 91 more
Today it means
verb To perceive the truth or factuality of; to be certain of; to be certain that.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “know”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Germanic *knēaną / know